platt



C. D. PLATT.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

APPLECATIUN mu) MAY I8. mu.

latvnted July 8, 1919.

UL *IRTENCE D. PLATT, U1 BRIDGEBMRTJLUNNECTICUT.

we r 1,309,153.

Specification 01 Le t ters Potent ELECTRIC SWITCH.

Pat nted July 8., 1919.

Application filed May 18, 19118, fieriel Nov 235,241.

To all whom it may con rcm .Beit, known that l. (lmnnm'n l). lm rr, aicitiizcn of the United States oi Anmrica, residing at Bridgeport.(lonn, have in rented Saoiew and useful Electric Switch. of which thefollowing is a specification.

My present invention relates to switches; ot the quick-owing or snapvariety. for insilence, those of the push button type. Th contactsemployed in these switches. to he of the necessary resiliency anddurability are made of a high grade of spring mat rial w gsueh asphospltool-mime. Objection ha been found llHVP'IUl', in the neo of thoseSwitches lit-rouse oi the tut-t that [hr pring contacts have a certainmusical (nudity which causes the switch to emit a distinct .-;n1usicalsoui'idor twang when the switch operated. this sound of course beingintensified when the switch inountedin place in a wall or other supportwhich would act-as a HOHIKl-bOfllti.

In my present invention I have endeavored to overcome the objectionnoted and have, in fact; succeeded in silencing the spring contactsWithout inipairing the ad. tion of-thc switch in any Way.

Brieiii my invention resides in the prori-' sionof means for checkingthe smiud-pro 3 dueing viln'ations of the spring switch con-- teats,such "loans consisting in the emhodi ment herein (liselosml w stopshoulders dis posed for engagement by the spring Marts when saidoontarits are released from the conducting element which engages therewith.

Other features of the invention and the details of construction willappear the" specification proceeds. 1 l

The accompanying drawing illustrates the invention embodied in twodifferent forms but it will be understood that the invention issusceptible of further inodifice tion without departure from the truespirit; and seop'e thereof.

In this drawing:- Figure 1, iso fragmentary sectional view of animproved form of push button switch having the invention incorporatedtherein. said View being taken substantially on the plane of the line1]. of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2, is a top plan'view of the switch, omitting such parts as have nohearing on the resent invention.

Fig. 3, is a sectional View taken substantially on the plane of the line33 of Fig. 2,

the spring crmtiirt's in idl views thus far beinn l-n-tand disengage-dfrom the cooperating contaet element.

Fig. i. is a 'ViE'W similar to Fig. 3. illustrating the sln'endingLlt'ilt'lll ol' the sprin contacts by the bridgingmcmbt-r which cn unit-s tlwrcu'ith. i

Fig 3 and ti arc perspective and sectional view?- i'rspcrl'iroly. of e:iligl'itl r modiliul form f the invention.

T titmigtleltt'n the hollow inslilntingj liner of push burton :wvit'rlii" in -primed construe lion and provided with a wu'ingi'ing rontnrteleme t 31 for engagement with the sprin --:mra

The spring contact are designated ii and ill and are shown sc urcd uponthe snmju'n'ting fllliiiliiltih It by iron; 1;! passed through the backof the base into engagement with the terminals 13 orerhing the hastportione of the spring contacts.

These spring contacts as clearly shown in and 8, stand out from theirsupports so as to be freely yicldahle under the impact of the relativelymovable contact 8 which bridges or connects them after the mannerindicated in Fig. i.

In the tirst coiutrnrtion illustriitril. the sound gin'mlucingribrations of the spring roof-arts are checked by means oi an abut nwntH tlislnnnnl hrtuccn the two spring (oi Hu ts illd, ii-roriding the stopshoulders iii flit eiig aggeumnt by will muta ts. when the same are freeof the movable bridging contact (Figs. and 3). These stop shoul (iBlS 15are spaced apart: a distance than the length of the bridging contact 8so that said movable contact will have the efl'ect'wof. qireading thespring contacts and thus plan ing them under such tension as to insureperfect electrical conductivity. The fornrdly projecting: end portionsof the spring contacts may be flared somewhat as indicated at 16 toprovide inclined surfaces for Wedging engagement by the morable contactmember.

From this it Will be seen that the movable contact member depresses theoutstanding spring contacts toward their respective supports and thatwhen freed from pressure of said movable Contact, said spring contactswill immediately spring out into engagement: with the stop shouldersprovided therefor and thus bepre rented from vibrating or. checked tosuch an extent as to prevent the giving ofi of audible sound. The stopvshoulders turthern'iore serve to accurately position the springcontacts Without interfering with their yielding properly under impactof the movable contact element.

Another method of checking the unclesirable vibrations of the springcontacts is illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 consisting in providing thecontacts, here designated 9', with an integral do endent tongue 17 whichstands ItOI'llttllll in engagement with the stop shoulder as indicatedin Fig. 6. In this construction the contacting wing portion 16 is freeto yield under pressure of the movable Contact and is prevented fromobjectionably vibrating when disengaged from the movable contact byreason of the engagement of the vibration checking tongue I? with thestop shoulder 15'.

it will be apparent from the fore oing llitl my invention provides apractical and at the same time very simple construction i tl! chi-citingand preventing the objectionable. noisy vibrations heretofore present nsuitchrs of the character referred to.

i clainu l. in a snap switch, a stationary support, a movable contactmember and a yielding ontact member, said yielding contact member havinga stationary end, a movable con tact end adapted to be engaged by themovabl contact member and a p rtion internmdiate said ench ensionedagainst the support when the switch is in the open circuit positionsullitgiently to prevent audible vibratiolis.

2. In a snap switch, a pair of opposed pring contacts, a movable switchmember eug'ageable tl'ierewith, means for snapping said movable switchmember into and out of engagement with said spring contacts, station-aryshoulders interposed between the spring contacts, springcontacts havingvibration checking portions tensioned against the shoulders when saidspring contacts are released from engagcn'icnt with the movable switchmember.

3. In a snap switch, a supporting base, a contact having a base portionsecured rig-- idly to said support and a yielding spring portionprojecting out oi engagement with the support so as to yield free ofsaid support, a movable contact member arranged to depress the freelyyielding portion of the first contact toward the support and a stationary sto shoulder positioned in the path of rebound of the yieldingportion of the spring contact and adapted thereby to be engaged by andto immediately check vibrations of said i'rce spring portion of the cntact when said contact is released from engagement with the movablecontact incur bet.

4. in a snap switch, a supporting bso, a spring contact having a footportion secured to the base and an angularly extending spring contactportion free to vibrate independently of the supporting base, a movablecontact for engagement with the spring con tact portion of the firstcontact and an ranged to depress said yielding portion to ard the suiporting base, a stationary stop shoulder positioned in the path ofrebound of the yielding portion of the spring con tact, said springcontact having a vibration checking extension on the y elding portionthereof positioned to engage the stop shoulder aforesaid when saidyielding portion is freed from engagement with the mov able contactmember.

